AS noted yesterday, the BLS released the jobs report for September showing that the economy added 248,000 jobs while the unemployment rate (UER) dropped to a 6 year low of 5.9%. So that’s the good news–the economy continues to add jobs and is above pre-recession levels: Moreover, 2014 has shaped up to be (thus far) […]

THE impact of the ACA on the nation’s weak economic recovery continues to draw analysis and discussion. One argument opponents of the ACA often make is that it is driving workers to cut hours and shift workers to part-time status. To bolster this argument they often cite elevated levels in part-time employment. While total part-time employment […]

After digging into some data on multiple job holders, the suggestion in my previous post that the state’s multiple job holders’ rate is indicative of a weak labor market overstated the value of multiple job holder rate as an economic bellwether. While other indicators do suggest that the state’s low unemployment rate is masking some […]

WHILE some labor market indicators for the state continue to improve, other data points to continuing weakness in Maine’s labor market. While the unemployment rate for the state continued to decline, and the employment-population ratio remains relatively strong, the quality of jobs being created is weak. As MECEP highlighted last month, Maine has the 5th […]

There’s been a lot of discussion, criticism, and defense to Gov. Paul LePage’s economic record thus far. One of the larger criticisms is that while the state’s unemployment rate continues to dip, as noted by some, Maine has the 5th highest rate of involuntary part-time work. (click images to enlarge) Unsurprisingly, that rate has increased since the […]

JUST prior to the recently published jobs report, the national GOP posted a press release on its website arguing, in part, that the ACA is pushing the economy into a part-time economy. It’s an oft stated argument by the GOP and its members. For instance, Maine Senator Susan Collins co-sponsored legislation that would change the definition of […]

AS noted previously, the national jobs report was released this morning by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Overall, the jobs report was positive, with the economy creating 288,000 jobs; well above projections of roughly 210,000. This was the fifth consecutive month of job creation above 200,000, the first time that has happened since the tech […]

John Haskell

John graduated from the University of Southern Maine with a degree in Political Science, and from the University of Maine School of Law. He has worked in both the public and private sectors, and currently, works with a small business services company in the Mid-Coast area.